Survival
by dragonprincess1988
Summary: "Tim, you'll get through this."


Dick had been sitting backwards on a chair, watching Tim for what seemed like hours. At some point, Dick had actually been reading the book which Tim had handed him to keep him quiet while the kid worked, but he got distracted by all of the silence. Tim wasn't even typing, which was what captured Dick's attention in the first place. Tim was just sitting in front of his laptop. It didn't even look like he was reading or paying attention to whatever was on the screen. "Hey, are you okay?"

Tim blinked a few times at the interruption before turning his gaze to Dick. "Do I look okay?"

Dick was slightly stunned by the response. He normally only ever received an, 'I'm fine,' from Tim. "That isn't your standard answer to that question."

Tim sighed as he closed the laptop. It wasn't like he was actually accomplishing anything anyway. "I think standard answers require standard situations, don't you?"

Dick raised an eyebrow at that. He knew Tim was having a difficult time lately, but that didn't explain how he was acting throughout this conversation. If anything, Dick expected Tim to be more closed off. "And this isn't a standard situation?"

Tim leaned back in his chair and tried to think of a way to put it into perspective for Dick. "Do you remember that time we were running on that bridge, and as we were running it was crumbling beneath us? We didn't know where to step next and before we knew it there was nothing ahead of us and nothing behind us."

Dick nodded as he got up and started pacing the length of the room. "Yeah, what's your point?"

Tim let his shoulders sag a little. "It's like that. There's nothing ahead of me and there's nothing behind me. This is hell and there is no reprieve from it."

Dick rolled his eyes. He didn't want to say it, but he thought Tim was being just a little melodramatic. "Tim, I don't think it's that bad."

Tim sighed once again. "Yeah, you wouldn't."

Dick stopped pacing in order to glare at Tim for his response. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're normally optimistic. It's actually kind of annoying." Tim got up and went over to his bookcase. He was hoping to find something to do to take his mind off of his current situation.

Dick was slightly irritated by Tim's remark and he knew it was evident through his tone. "And you think your constant pessimism isn't annoying?"

Tim glanced back over his shoulder for a moment. "I never said it wasn't."

Dick watched Tim crouch down to look at the lower shelves, and was almost astounded at the tension in the kid's back. "Tim, you'll get through this."

Tim grabbed a random book off of one of the lower shelves, and then walked over to his bed. "There's no actual proof of that."

Dick shrugged as he returned to his own seat. "You've gotten through plenty of other stuff."

Tim raised an eyebrow at him. "So, we're going with the logic that I'll make it through because I always have?"

Dick shook his head. "No, we're going with the logic that you'll make it through this because you know what you're doing."

Tim placed the book down beside him on the bed as he sat up straight. "If this was any other time I'd agree with you on that, but this is uncharted territory."

Dick got up and sat in front of Tim on the bed. "It's not necessarily uncharted territory."

Tim leaned back again and sighed. "Okay, fine, but it still sucks."

Dick placed a hand on Tim's shoulder and gripped it tightly. "I agree with you on that, but you will survive this."

Tim tried to shrug off the hand, but Dick's grip was too firm. "I never said I wouldn't. This won't kill me. I know that, but what I don't know is how I'll come out of this."

After a moment Dick let go of Tim's shoulder and sat back. "What do you mean?"

Tim got up and began walking around his room, which for some reason felt more like a closet than a room to Tim right now. "Sanity is a fragile thing, Dick. We've seen how easy it is for people to break. What if this breaks me?"

Dick turned to watch Tim as he mindlessly paced around his room. "I don't think it will."

Tim stopped pacing as he hung his head. "Well, I'm glad you can be so sure about it because I'm not."

Dick sighed again. "Tim, you're too smart to go insane."

Tim raised an eyebrow at him. "Dick, do you really believe intelligence has anything to do with sanity? We've both seen The Joker."

Dick began to run his fingers through his hair out of frustration. "What do you want me to say here, Tim?"

Tim shook his head as if to clear it. "Nothing." His voice was completely devoid of emotion.

Dick sighed. "Tim…" It didn't matter how frustrated he was, Dick would take open Tim over emotionless Tim any day.

Tim turned to leave. "I should go."

Dick quickly got off the bed and slid in front of Tim, blocking his way to the door. "We're just going to skip over the fact that this is YOUR room, and technically I should be the one leaving; but anyway, I don't want you to go if you're still feeling like this."

Tim stared at Dick wryly as he shrugged. "When do I not feel like this? Like you said, I'll live."

Tim tried to nudge Dick out of the way, but was halted by Dick placing both hands on Tim's shoulder and pushing him back gently. "Tim, I didn't mean it like that…I meant…"

"I'm good." Tim cut Dick off as he pushed past him again, but this time Tim managed to get his hand on the doorknob before Dick pulled him back with a hand wrapped around his bicep.

Dick held Tim in place in front of him as he tried desperately to figure Tim out. "Tim, you're not good. Now, talk to me."

Tim quickly pulled away from Dick's grasp. "Hey, you said I'd survive so…" Tim let his voice trail off, knowing Dick knew what he meant.

Dick sighed as he began to rub his temples. He distinctly remembered a time when talking to Tim wasn't a massive trap that somehow always turned around to be his fault. "Yeah, I did, but I didn't tell you to close off completely."

Tim shrugged as he mentally tried to find a way around Dick. "Eh, I'm good at it."

Dick shook his head slightly. He couldn't find a way to get through to Tim, not that he was surprised by that fact. "Doesn't mean you should, Tim."

"Doesn't mean I shouldn't either, Dick." Tim glared and the last word was spoken as an insult.

Dick internally winced at Tim's tone. He knew the kid could and would get through this. He just didn't know how to be there for him right now. Tim wasn't like the rest of the bat family. Leaving him alone didn't help, but most of the time, it didn't seem like being there for him did much good, either. "Tim, I'm here. Talk to me."

Tim rolled his eyes. He understood where Dick was coming from, but at the same rate, he knew that Dick was only there for a short time. Eventually Dick would leave again, and Tim would be left to deal with things on his own. It just made it easier to deal if he didn't bother listening to all of the useless platitudes. Tim knew that he might have support now, but he didn't know how long that support was going to last. "We did talk, Dick. You gave me all the encouragement I needed. Thanks for that, by the way. I'll get through this. You said so yourself. I'll be fine. Now can I go? I have stuff to do before I have to return to dealing with everything."

Dick nodded as he stepped out of Tim's way. He knew there was no point. Tim was going to do things his way, no matter what Dick did or didn't say. "Tim, you'll get through this, and you know I'm here if you need me, right?"

Tim slightly inclined his head. "Yeah, but for how long?" He whispered softly on his way out of the room.

The End


End file.
